1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a wheel cover for use in a car and particularly relates to a wheel cover installing clip device comprising a sandwiching portion which is installed on a rim flange edge of a disc wheel of the car and a connection surface for fixing the wheel cover body thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
The wheel cover is hitherto mounted on the disc wheel by utilizing a hump formed on a rim of the disc wheel. FIG. 7A is a sectional view showing a conventional disc wheel. FIG. 7B is an enlarged sectional view showing a part (B) of the disc wheel shown in FIG. 7A. As shown in FIG. 7B, a hump 3 is formed at a predetermined position of a rim 2 of a disc wheel 1 such that the hump 3 projects therefrom outward in the radial direction of the disc wheel 1. The hump 3 is formed to prevent the edge of a tire from moving inward. The hump 3 projects only about 0.5 mm from the rim 2, although it is exaggeratively illustrated.
A wheel cover 4 to be mounted on the disc wheel 1 by using the hump 3 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 8. That is, a disc-shaped wheel cover body 4a is formed integrally with a plurality of claws 4b projecting from the underside thereof by injection molding. The front end 4c of the claw 4b is fitted into a concave formed on the underside of the hump 3 and pressed thereinto. Then, the front end 4c of the claw 4b is pressed outward in the radial direction of the disc wheel 1 by means of a wire ring 70. In this manner, the wheel cover 4 is mounted on the disc wheel 1.
Many types of disc wheels 1 are manufactured. There is a variety in the type of disc wheels 1 having the same diameter. In most cases, the positions, depths, and sizes of the hump 3 are different from each other, respectively depending on the types of the disc wheels 1. Thus, the wheel cover 4 which is fixed to the disc wheel 1 utilizing the hump 3 is used exclusively for one type of the disc wheel 1.
In order to overcome this problem, the present applicant proposed a wheel cover which can be installed on disc wheels irrespective of types thereof if they have the standardized same diameter. That is, a clip is mounted on the rim flange edge 2a of the disc wheel 1 to install the wheel cover body on the disc wheel 1, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 7-211628 and 7-217044.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show the construction having a clip 6a or 6b for installing a wheel cover body 7a or 7b on a disc wheel 1. Each of the clip 6a shown in FIG. 9 and the clip 6b shown in FIG. 10 has a sandwiching portion (A) for sandwiching the rim flange edge 2a of the rim 2 of the disc wheel 1 and the connection or receiving surface (B) for fixing the wheel cover 7a or the wheel cover 7b thereto. In FIG. 9, a plane fastener 8a for fixing the wheel cover 7a to a connection surface (B) is provided between the underside of the wheel cover 7a and the connection surface (B) of the clip 6a. The wheel cover body 7a is pressed against the connection surface (B) of the clip 6a at a right angle therewith to install the wheel cover body 7a on the connection surface (B). The construction shown in FIG. 10 has a snap engaging means 8b provided between the underside of the wheel cover body 7b and the connection surface (B) of the clip 6b. The snap engaging means 8b consists of a female button and a male button which engages each other. The wheel cover body 7b is pressed against the connection surface (B) of the clip 6b at a right angle therewith to install the wheel cover body 7b on the connection surface (B).
It often occurs that the rim flange edge 2a of the disc wheel 1 does not have a size not conforming to the standardized size and that the terminated portion of the rim flange edge 2a is dislocated from the predetermined position. Therefore, the clips 6a and 6b are likely to incline when they are installed on the rim flange edge 2a not conforming to the standardized size, which necessitates the control of the size of the clip: If the rim flange edge 2a is shorter than the standardized size as shown by an imaginary line of FIG. 11, one end of each of the clips 6a and 6b inclines outward (upward in FIG. 11) in the radial direction of the disc wheel 1, whereas if the rim flange edge 2a is longer than the standardized size as shown by an imaginary line of FIG. 12, one end of each of the clips 6a and 6b inclines inward (downward in FIG. 12) in the radial direction of the disc wheel 1. In both cases, it is necessary to adjust the connection surface (B) to be horizontal, namely, parallel with the underside of the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b. In the former case as shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to install the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b on the clips 6a and 6b, respectively by strongly pressing the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b against the connection surface (B) and by pressing one end of the clips 6a and 6b downward, with the connection surface (B) placed in position relatively to the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b, respectively. In the latter case as shown in FIG. 12, there is a gap between the connection surface (B) of each of the clips 6a and 6b and the underside of each of the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b, which necessitates the use of the clips 6a and 6b whose connection surface is horizontal, namely, parallel with the underside of the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b.